


Shukita Week 2019!

by EndovaElixabete



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-13 13:18:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18469744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndovaElixabete/pseuds/EndovaElixabete
Summary: My works for Shukita week!





	1. Day 1: Comfort/Distance

**Author's Note:**

> Details can be found here! ttps://shukitaweek.tumblr.com/

Any form of distance between them wasn’t great.After Ren’s need to move back home, it really tested the limits of their relationship. Surviving long distance was _tough_ , but if you loved someone enough, you made it work, right?

That was what Ren had to keep telling himself.

Where he thought that the end of his probation was difficult enough, college was even _worse_.

Ren lived in Tokyo again, yes, but conflicting schedules meant little time that the duo could spend together. Alone time was almost unheard of as well. Roommates _loved_ to stay in the room, after all.

If Ren wanted to make out with his boyfriend the one time he got to see him that week, he thought himself allowed of such indulgences. And he felt he was entitled to do it in _peace_ as well.

Why did his roommate always like to hang out _specifically_ when Yusuke came to visit?

This week proved no luck though. Yusuke and himself had been far too busy to set aside time for their usual date, so they were stuck sitting in their respective dorm rooms on a video chat so that they could talk.

Ren’s room was dark, and he was wrapped in a blanket, his laptop sitting on his desk and proving to be the only source of light in the small room. His ear buds dangled from his ears, and he was leaned on the desk, chin in his hand as he watched the video feed of his boyfriend.

Yusuke’s room was much brighter, and he sat far from the camera of his phone. From what it looked like, he was sitting in one of the buildings in the school-- even this late at night. Canvases were lined along the wall, and easels were scattered around. Yusuke was painting on one too, though Ren couldn’t see just _what_ he was painting, as it was turned away from the camera.

He must have had to turn up the volume on his phone quite a bit, huh? It wasn’t like Ren was _right_ next to him. He hoped that no one else was in the room with Yusuke. That would just be rude.

They sat in comfortable silence as Ren watched Yusuke paint. He had some homework that he really should have been working on, but decided against it in favor of spending this time with his boyfriend. 

He couldn’t be upset with him for wanting to continue to paint though. Yusuke looked so comfortable, happy, focused, and Ren didn’t have the heart to break his concentration. That was, not with something aside from a little bit of small talk.

Sighing a little bit, Ren shifted on his seat.

“I miss you.” He muttered, and at first he wasn’t sure if Yusuke heard him or not. He made no move to stop his painting or to look at the camera, and instead just swirled his paintbrush in a cup of water before drying it off onto the leg of a _very_ stained pair of jeans that he didn’t seem to care about any longer. He then dipped the paintbrush into a different color of paint and took that to the canvas next.

He was silent for a while, and Ren was resigned to sitting in silence again when Yusuke’s voice filled his ears.

“Is that so?”

And then there was a curious glance in Ren’s direction, an amused smile upon the artist’s face. Ren felt himself smile as well, and he was glad to receive his boyfriend’s attention.

“Yeah. Hey.” He said, then sitting upright a little. “How about I skip class tomorrow so I can take you to lunch?”

“That wouldn’t be an _optimal_ decision,” Yusuke began as he turned back to his painting again. This time he was using red-- Ren’s favorite color. He was smiling while he looked at the canvas, but Ren would be lying if he said he didn’t see that playful glance in his direction once again. “But I can’t say I wouldn’t enjoy that choice.”

Ren felt his smile grow tenfold. It’d be great to see Yusuke again.


	2. Day 2: Late Nights/Status Effects

Flu season was never fun. Or, at least it wasn’t fun when the flu really kicked in. Yusuke was no exception to getting sick, and times like these reminded Ren of the days when they were once Phantom Thieves.

It was late at night, and Yusuke’s latest coughing fit had woken Ren up.Though he apologized profusely, Yusuke still seemed bothered by the thought of waking his boyfriend up. Ren didn’t mind Not one bit. One tired day a work was nothing compared to the comfort that Yusuke would receive during one of his fits.

A glass of water was brought to Yusuke after his coughing had finished, and he took it graciously. Sipping at the water, Ren slipped back into his spot on the bed and rubbed at the other male’s back while he relaxed, breathing heavy as he attempted to catch it once again.

They were quiet for a while, and Ren’s hand came to rest at Yusuke’s lower back while they’d calmed down. One more sip of his drink, and Yusuke finally spoke.

“My apologies. This My attempts are curbing it have been unsuccessful.” He said, looking down at the hands in his lap.

Ren couldn’t help but chuckle at that, and he leaned over to give Yusuke one quick kiss upon the cheek before patting his thigh gently. “S’only been a few days.”

“But I’ve woken you up each night now. You must be tired.”

“Don’t start sounding like Morgana.” Yusuke watched as Ren fell back onto the bed, arms folded under his head.

It was true though. It’d only been a few days since Yusuke had contracted this sickness, and Ren couldn’t help but be reminded of the one time they’d managed to fight the reaper (and win. Thank goodness for despair). How powerful they’d felt in the moment the Reaper had managed to destroy himself. 

This was much like what he must have felt, huh? Mind clouded, nose stuffed, and coughing. Poor Yusuke. Ren expressed his sympathies.

“But you’ve been working.” He began, turning to face Ren, palm pressed to the mattress. “If you don’t get enough sleep, then-”

A finger was promptly pressed to Yusuke’s lips at that, and it instantly shut him up, eyes wide. Ren was smiling though.

“Hush.” He insisted, and then pulled his hand away, only to tug at the sleeve of Yusuke’s nightshirt. “It’s just a cold. Won’t knock me out like _you_.” Was that a little harsh? Maybe. But Yusuke had always been a bit of a baby when it came to getting sick.

Yusuke obeyed Ren though, and he laid down into his boyfriend’s open arms, head on Ren’s shoulder and arm draped over his stomach. He sniffled once and then sighed, and Ren figured he was giving up on trying to breath through his nose. For now, at least. 

It probably would have been better to prop Yusuke up in his sleep, but this was comfortable. Ren would be lying if he said he wouldn’t miss laying like this if Yusuke decided to stick to his own side of the bed. 

“You’ll likely get sick as well.” It seemed like Yusuke was still attempting to protest Ren’s care, but Ren wasn’t going to allow it.

Chuckling once more, Ren placed a quick kiss to the top of Yusuke’s head, and then tugged him closer, thankful that Yusuke could still reach the blankets and was tucking them in. It was time to get back to sleep anyway.

“S’okay.” He said with a yawn, and he didn’t bother to cover his mouth. “You can just repay me the favor.”


	3. Day 3: Cherry Blossoms/Things Left Unsaid

There were many things that reminded Ren of Yusuke. 

The sun, the ky. Rivers and lakes. Sushi bars and discounted convenience store snacks. Paint and canvases. The stars in the night sky. Cherry blossoms.

It always came back to cherry blossoms.

It was probably because of the Sayuri. Early spring had always been Yusuke’s favorite time of year. With all of the blooming flowers and greening scenery, he’d always commented about just how beautiful of a time of year it was.

Ren had always been more of a fan of the fall time.

Ren wandered down the pathway of Yusuke’s favorite park, small parcel in his hands. The cherry blossom trees lined the pavement, and he glanced up at them with squinted eyes. It was far too sunny outside for such a day. It was warm. Too warm.

But why take off his jacket? Yusuke always told him he looked handsome in a suit. And he would _never_ want to disappoint Yusuke.

There were still plenty of things he could have learned about Yusuke. There were still plenty of things he could have _told_ Yusuke. He could have told him he loved him more. He could have told him how beautiful his eyes were, how graceful his smile was, how calming his laugh was. He’d told him all of it a thousand times, but not once could he find the perfect wording for it all.

He missed Yusuke. He missed him with all of his heart, but he’d made a promise. One day, when Yusuke was finally to succumb to the same fate as his mother, Ren had assured him that he would not cry. Of every emotion that Yusuke had insisted was beautiful upon Ren’s face, sadness was never one he liked.

Ren’s heart ached more than he ever thought possible, and it hung heavy in his chest as he looked down at the picture in his hands.

His husband had died far too soon. There was nothing he could do to bring him back, no matter how much he wanted to. There were so many things that he loved and needed to say, but his words would never reach Yusuke again.

At least he could still _pretend_ that Yusuke could hear. He’d speak the words to his picture each day until he’d passed on as well.


	4. Day 4: First Time/Nightmares

They’d slept in the same place before, but never the same bed, and never as a couple. There was a first time for everything, it seemed. But it was not a first that Ren would ever want to complain about. 

Sleeping with Yusuke was interesting. It had been an experience. From playfully elbowing each other out of the way so they could use the same sink to brush their teeth in to a tickle fight due to a particularly sassy remark from Yusuke, it’d been fun early on in the night.

The attic was cold most nights, and Ren was intent on using it as an excuse to get as many cuddles as he possibly could out of his boyfriend. Yusuke was so nice to hold, after all. He fit perfectly into Ren’s arms (as much as he tried to wrestle out of them during times of inspiration).

They’d tucked themselves in pretty late into the night already. After losing track of time while they played a particularly eventful few rounds in a board game, they finally decided it was about time to get to sleep. At least there was no school the next day, so neither of them had to worry about being too sleepy to pay attention.

And hopefully Yusuke would wake Ren up if he intended to leave the cafe far too early again. Ren was still pretty miffed about that.

Not that he’d _let_ Yusuke leave the cafe this time around.

And once they _were_ settled into bed, they both managed to fall asleep pretty quickly. Or, at least, Yusuke had-- if his soft breathing was anything to go by. Ren didn’t think he lasted much longer either.

He awoke with a start in the middle of the night though. A sudden movement from the person beside him caused him to jolt awake.Yusuke was sitting up in the bed, head in his hands and blanket pooling around his waist.

Elbows on his knees, he was breathing heavy-- panting.

“What’s wrong?” Ren found himself asking before his mind could process much. He sat up onto his elbow, thankful that he was already facing Yusuke. 

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Yusuke muttered. His voice was heavy and shaking, and he was still breathing a bit too harshly for Ren’s liking. 

“Doesn’t look like it.” Ren sat up higher after that, legs crossed in front of himself as he reached out, hand gently resting on Yusuke’s leg and giving it a few gentle ubs. Obviously the artist was distraught about _something_.

Yusuke swallowed what appeared to be a lump in his throat after that, and the hand closest to Ren removed itself from his hair to rub at his eyes for a moment, then falling to the bed between them, fingers grasping the blankets loosely. Poor thing. Was he crying?

“I was hoping it wouldn’t happen tonight. I wanted it to be a special time for the both of us-- not something like _this_.”

Frowning, Ren found himself sighing. Was Yusuke often having nightmares like this? How long had this been going on? Shaking his head, Ren determined he’d just have to try and make Yusuke have a better night once again.

He shifted closer to Yusuke, wrapping both arms around him tightly. Yusuke wasted no time in gripping onto Ren’s arm to bury his face into it as well.His face was a little wet, but Ren didn’t mind. Yusuke clearly needed a little comfort to start off.


	5. Day 5: Inspiration/Betrayal

Nothing could have prepared Yusuke for a time like this. The indecency. The incredibility. The _betrayal_. This was _not_ fair in any sense of the word.

Yusuke didn’t care if it was a quick and easy way to earn cash.

Ren was his _everything_. His first love, his hero, his savior… And _his model_. Ren was the perfect model. The expressions he made, the movements expressed, the words he spoke… Everything-- all of _Ren_ was _gorgeous_. Yusuke didn’t care what it was about him, it was flawless.

Okay, perhaps Ren had a _few_ flaws. Much like what was going on in his mind during a time like this. 

At least he wasn’t _nude_ modeling.

But for Yusuke’s _roommate_? Of all people! Yusuke didn’t like his roommate one bit! He was loud, arrogant, selfish! And he was messy! And not in the average artist fashion-- paints skewed about and half-finished canvases lining the empty spaces of the room where available. He left food all over the place! And he never made his bed.

That was the worst part.

Ren seemed to act as if it was nothing though. Yusuke wondered just how he’d gotten into the campus building. Likely his roommate had let him in, but when did the duo exchange numbers? _Did_ they exchange numbers? Maybe they’d just run into each other at some point.

Either way, this was absurd, and Yusuke was quick to drag Ren out of the room by the sleeve of his blazer. This was preposterous. Ren was _his_ model and no one else’s. _Especially_ not his roommate’s.

Ren was _his_ boyfriend, for goodness sake!

Ren was stumbling behind him though, Yusuke could feel. Perhaps he had jumped the gun and overreacted. Maybe it wasn’t _so_ bad that Ren had decided to… Model for another artist.

No. Yusuke was definitely _not_ overreacting. He was determined to drag Ren back to the dorms to give him a refresher on why Ren must remain only _his_ model.

At least Yusuke was the only one who would get to see Ren nude modeling though-- or at least he _hoped_.


	6. Day 6: Soulmates/Palace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a day late, but we're going to pretend that I'm not.

They said the strings of fate could connect two souls. Ren had never believed in something such as “fate” until the moment he met his fiance for the first time. 

The joining of two kingdoms was a cause for celebration between the countries involved, and perhaps for even their allies. Bonds strengthened trust, and loyalty could be held in pride. 

Moving to a new kingdom wasn’t something that Ren would have ever considered _easy_. His home was all that he knew in his short span of life, but the opposing kingdom was stronger. Larger. _Better_.

Or, at least, that was what his parents had told him.

He was also made aware of the fact that his betrothed may not be in good health. Born with a weak heart (much like his mother, the rumors had told), _Yusuke_ was said to be doing well, but the king had reluctance in moving him anywhere too far away at the moment. Getting over a recent bout of flu meant paranoia, even if he’d been doing well in recent years.

One couldn’t be too careful, Ren supposed. Not with royalty.

The palace was huge-- much larger than Ren’s own that he would one day inherit. The walls were made of icy blue stone of the likes that Ren had never seen, and each window’s glass was stained with portraits of humans, nature, animals… The spires rose high into the air above the world around them. 

The stones beneath Ren’s feet when he stepped out of the carriage were of dark grey, and his heels clacked against them as he took a few short steps away from the carriage. His cloak was promptly unfolded by his personal servant and spread to the ground behind him in a flourish. He would have to make quite the appearance, wouldn’t he? Ren had never met even the king of this country, and impressions must always be best-- especially with one’s future in-law.

The throne room was massive. Curtains lined the walls in fashion and in hopes to keep the building warm against the icy air from the outside world. Ren had been told that this country was colder than his own. Thankfully, he enjoyed the colder weather.

And though the room was impressive-- candles lining the walkway and bright rug rolled along the pathway, Ren’s gaze fell on the far end of the room. Atop the throne sat one man, and before him was one much younger. 

Turning to face Ren, as well as the others entering the room (such as Ren’s parents), the younger male’s face was much easier to see. He was indeed young looking, and Ren couldn’t help but think that they may be close in age. He’d heard that Yusuke was near him in age, and for that he was thankful, if he was being honest.

Yusuke was clad in dented and abused armor, and there was a helmet tucked under one of his arms. Ren had been told that he was skilled with a sword. He wasn’t surprised.

After soft introductions with the king, Ren was presented towards Yusuke, hands touching and gazes meeting. Yusuke was much more handsome than Ren could have ever imagined. His features were sharp, and his dark eyes reflected Ren in ways that the black haired male never thought possible. It was as if Yusuke was _studying_ him.

The moments their hands touched, Ren felt static course through his body. Sharp and _very_ prominent, he almost pulled his hand away in the thought that the electricity was real-- lightning striking him down on the spot.

Holding onto Yusuke a little longer seemed much more pleasurable though.

“It’s good to see your travels were safe.” And if Ren thought Yusuke’s voice wouldn’t be alluring in the slightest, he would have been wrong. Yusuke was smiling though, and Ren nearly felt himself melt onto the floor at the sight. How sweet that soft smile was… “I would hate for anything to happen to such a beautiful subject.”

_Oh_. And how flattering. Ren was sure he’d get used to this new kingdom quickly.


	7. Day 7: Free Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The free days are always the worst. I deided to elaborate on day 6's prompt though!

The first time he spent alone with Yusuke was after they’d been married. Festivities lasted days and consummation was expected, but the duo rarely got to spend time together without the watchful eye of someone near.

It didn’t help that Ren drank for _days_ , and by the time he got to bed at night, he would just fall asleep with barely a nod in Yusuke’s already sleeping direction.

And there was no way he’d be willing to sneak away in the middle of the day for something so _scandalous_.

Yusuke didn’t seem to mind though. Even while Ren noticed that his words were harsh, he was never _mean_. Tough, yes. And Ren appreciated that about him. Perhaps he needed someone to put him in his place. He’d become quite a brat over the years, though he’d like to blame that on his parents spoiling the prince.

But after friends, family, and acquaintances had gone home after the celebration, Ren was left alone in this palace. No friends. No family. He had his personal servant Yuuki, but they were both alone in this big new place. All they had was each other.

Ren, at least, had Yusuke though. So he could say that he was the more fortunate of the duo.

Yusuke had invited him for a walk in the gardens early in the morning, and Ren couldn’t refuse him. Though this place was far from home, plants always made him feel at ease. The plants form Yusuke’s home were different from Ren’s, but flowers were flowers. They all carried similar tasks, and they were all beautiful.

Arm linked through Ren’s, Yusuke lead his new husband through the palace and out into the gardens without barely a word. Ren wouldn’t say that it was an uncomfortable silence, though maybe a bit awkward. They didn’t really know each other, after all, but Ren was willing to _learn_.

Yusuke was just a bit taller than himself, but it wasn’t necessarily noticeable unless Ren stood beside him. Perhaps it was just his fluffy hair that made him look taller than he actually may be, but he wouldn’t dare say that he was more than just a _little_ shorter than him.

The gardens were beautiful though, and Yusuke mentioned how much he loved the flowers multiple times. Ren learned that his passion lay in _painting_ , and he was quick to ask Yusuke to show off his work. Anything that he could learn about his husband was much loved.

Though he really needed to think about Yusuke’s proposal of him being the subject of a painting or two. Ren wasn’t sure he _wanted_ to turn him down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Shukita week, everyone!


End file.
